Long-tailed Weasel (Mammals of the Kaibab National Forest)

Long-tailed Weasel

Mustela frenata

Summary ⁷

The long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), also known as the bridled weasel or big stoat is a species of mustelid distributed from southern Canada throughout all the United States and Mexico, southward through all of Central America and into northern South America.

Description ⁸

Long-tailed Weasels are voracious predators, foraging day and night for small vertebrates, and scavenging for carrion when necessary. In captivity, adults can consume an amount equal to one-third their own body weight in 24 hours. In the wild they may store food in a burrow or near a kill site. They are solitary except for the July-August breeding season. Both males and females maintain territories, marking them with chemical secretions from anal glands. Litters usually comprise 4-5 pups, born in a den. In 12 weeks they reach full adult body weight and begin hunting for food, pursuing mates, and establishing territories. Foxes, raptors, Coyotes, domestic dogs and cats, and rattlesnakes all prey on Long-tailed Weasels, and although they can live in a variety of habitats, population densities are low. In some locations they are endangered, and in others, considered threatened or species of concern.

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account